Renovated Queens stations reopen after months of repairs

The 30th Ave. and 36th Ave. stations on the N and W lines have reopened after months long renovations.

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Thousands of Queens straphangers had brighter, cleaner commutes Friday, once trains started running at two renovated Queens subway stations.

The 30th Ave. and 36th Ave. stations on the N and W lines reopened after an eight-month, top-to-bottom remodeling, with digital signs, new artwork, a passenger waiting area and brand new fixtures.

NYC Transit President Andy Byford took a tour of the 30th Ave. stop in Astoria to chat with riders about new look.

While in Queens, Byford stressed that these makeovers, part of Gov. Cuomo’s Enhanced Stations Initiative, were more than cosmetic — a criticism transit officials have faced amid bad subway service and demands for elevators when stations close for renovations.

The 30th Avenue subway station in the N/W Line in Astoria has reopened after renovations Friday. (Dan Rivoli / New York Daily News)

The 30th Ave. station, more than 100 years old, had worn-out metal beams and concrete that was replaced, leaks that needed to get plugged and a new platform.

“Don’t be fooled by the beautiful artwork and cosmetic nature,” Byford said. “These were fundamental, deep-rooted repairs that we made to the underlying fabric of the station. It’s very important.”

Riders had positive reviews.

“I love how it turned out. It looks very modern,” said Danny Osorio, 25, who had chatted with Byford.

The old station, he said, “was coming apart.”

Paddy Monahan, 35, an art handler, appreciated the cleanliness and glass station artwork.

“People are less inclined to treat them like garbage,” he said of renovated stops.

The 30th Avenue subway station in the N/W Line in Astoria reopened Friday after renovations. (Dan Rivoli / New York Daily News)

Crews were still working on the stations when trains started to roll through again. Signs for Manhattan- and Queens-bound platforms still needed to be installed.

There was also a snafu with a platform destination board that was hung too low from the ceiling.

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“Walked out to my new home @NYCTSubway station, 30th Av after eight months and promptly banged my head hard,” tweeted Niko Goutakolis, of Queens, who nonetheless enjoyed the new station. The sign will be fixed.

The stations — closed since October — reopened two days after plaster from the ceiling of the Borough Hall station in Brooklyn rained down on the uptown platform, injuring a commuter. Transit officials said there were signs that water has been seeping into the station.

Byford said that engineers are checking other stations roughly as old as Borough Hall to prevent the same problems from repeating elsewhere.

He used the renovations to pitch his ambitious Fast Forward plan, which would overhaul 300 stations at the cost about $37 billion over 10 years.

“I was taken aback when I saw that debris lying on the platform,” Byford said of Borough Hall. “What we really need to do is bite the bullet, find the funding to help us expedite the complete renewal of NYC transit as called for by the Fast Forward plan.”